Zach not being happy turned out to be the biggest understatement that Cam had ever heard anyone make. The stone entrance to the chamber shimmered open when Cam came close with the trident, the blue crystal glowing blue briefly. Erik exited first, Evie still cradled in his arms. Zach had clearly been pacing next to the chamber, his face tight and drawn with worry. He turned hard on his heel when he heard the chamber open and he gave a shout of surprise when he saw Evie's unconscious form. He immediately pulled her away from Erik, putting an ear to her chest and checking for a heartbeat. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the steady sound of her heart still pumping. He gently laid her on the ground before turning on Cam and Erik, his face contorted in rage. "What happened to her?" He asked, his voice shaking with barely concealed fury. He shoved Erik roughly, making the man stumble back. "What did you do?!"

"What I had to." Erik said, quickly regaining his balance and returning the shove with equal force. "Not that you would understand even if I explained it."

Cam stepped between them quickly and raised his hands, the trident glowing menacingly in his grip. "Alright, easy fellas." He said. "Let's take a moment and just breathe."

"You be quiet Cam!" Zach snarled. "This is just as much your fault as his! Now, because of you the pod might leave!"

Laughing, Erik shook his head and crossed his arms. "This is exactly why I did this." Erik told them. "You care more about the pod then your own best friend."

"The pod was the one in danger!" Zach retorted. He threw up his hands and shook his head. He walked back to Evie and picked her up into his arms. "She needs the moon pool."

"I'll go with you." Cam said, beginning to follow his friend.

"No!" Zach shot at him. "You've done enough."

Without as much as another glance back at the two mermen, Zach walked away. Cam watched his friend go, an awful feeling taking hold in his stomach. "What happened?" Cam asked Erik eventually, the trident weighing very heavily in his hands and on his mind. "How did I get this?"

"Come on," Erik said, clapping Cam on the shoulder and leading the way into the jungle. "Let's head back to the mainland. I'll explain everything once we are away from the mermaid pod."

"The mermaid pod?" Cam asked uncertainly. "Is there a merman pod?"

"Not yet." Erik said, his smile lost in the darkness of the night. "But there will be soon."

The swim back to the mainland only made Cam even more uneasy. He saw several of the pod underwater, watching him swim away with the trident in his grip. Erik's smile hadn't wavered and he was still smiling when they finally got their legs back on land. "May I see it?" He asked, reaching for the trident.

Hesitantly, Cam handed him the trident. "Okay, now tell me. What happened?"

"Tell me something, Cam." Erik said. "Have you noticed how distant that Zach had been before you got your tail?"

"Yeah…" He said, his voice trailing off. "That's why we got me a tail, right? To get you into the pod?"

"Yes. To get us into a pod." Erik said, correcting Cam. "You know they won't let you into their pod, right? A merman who was changed by the merman chamber?"

"So, what then?" Cam asked, not following. "We form our own pod of two?"

Erik shook his head vigorously. "No, that would be pointless. The mermaid council would try to drive us off." He said. "They don't trust me, and now that Zach tells them that you have the trident they won't trust you either."

"Okay, so what's your big plan!?" Cam demanded.

"You know that mermen once had our own pods, right?" Erik said. "But when we lost the war, mermaids began sending us ashore when we grew old enough. I think it's about time that we brought back our pods. No merman should have to go through this life alone."

"And you think that the mermaid council will just let us get away with that?" Cam snorted.

"They aren't going to let us do anything." Erik said, tapping the trident with one finger. "We are going to do what we need to. And they can't stop us."

"Are you hearing yourself?" Cam asked. He looked at the trident with disgust and shook his head. "You sound like you are getting ready to go to war with the mermaids!"

"If that's what it takes, then yes." Erik said, his eyes hard as he stared down at Cam. The gentle lapping of the waves across the sand was a sound eerily peaceful for such a dark conversation. "But only if the mermaids try to stop us."

"My friends are part of that pod." Cam said, crossing his arms and putting a hand out. "And I don't want them to get hurt. I'm going back to Mako to put the trident back in its chamber where it belongs."

For a moment, it seemed that Erik was indeed going to hand the trident back to Cam. But at the last second he took a step back and shook his head. "No. No I don't think so." Erik said. He looked at Cam with a disappointed frown. "I really expected more of you Cam. I really did. You know better than anyone what it's like to be alone! Now imagine that feeling for every merman alive right now."

"That doesn't make it okay to start a war!" Cam said, stepping forward and snatching for the trident.

The stone glowed bright and a bolt of energy shot out from the stone, hitting Cam squarely in the chest. He flew back and landed in the water, his tail emerging almost instantly. Shaking his head, Erik slowly made his way to the stunned figure of Cam and stood just outside of the wave's reach. "You should have joined me Cam." He told him, flipping the trident around and placing the point of one of the trident's spears against Cam's chest. "I wish I didn't have to do this. But I can't allow the mermaids to have another member in their pod."

"What are you-." Cam began to ask, but his voice cut off when the stone glowed blue and his world was a sudden ocean of pain. His vision went black, but it seemed that even unconsciousness did not shield him from the pain. Cam's chest was white hot in agony, and it felt as though the trident was tearing out his heart. He thrashed blindly in the water, his legs kicking in the surf. His legs. When the pain finally faded, Cam was left lying on his back as the water rushed over his body. He didn't know how long he lay there, his eyes still shut tight. A sudden brightness across his eyelids forced Cam to finally open his eyes. When he sat up, he saw what he had suspected all night. His legs were in the water, his shorts completely drenched. With shaking hands Cam looked around wildly for Erik, but as he suspected there was no sign of him or the trident. Pushing to his feet, his whole body shook as silent sobs racked Cam's body.

He staggered and stumbled up the pier and into the café, startling a still-tired David as he was flipping the sign from closed to open. Cam said nothing, but simply collapsed in a chair and rested his forehead against the wood. Slapping his hands against his side, Erik flipped the sign back to closed and joined Cam at the table. "Something wrong, Cam?"

He didn't reply. Erik sat quietly at the table, content to wait for his friend to speak. The door to the bar banged open and Zach, Ondina, Evie, and Sirena strode through, their faces fearsome. David stood up and crossed the room to Sirena, but to his surprise she held up a hand and staved him off for the moment. "You!" Ondina said, ripping Cam's chair back from the table and shaking him by the shoulders. Cam didn't resist, didn't speak, and just let himself be shaken back and forth like a ragdoll. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"

Cam stared up at her through dull eyes and remained mute. Ondina took a step back before suddenly frowning. Her eyes widened and she fell forward, her tail flapping against the café's floor. "Ondina!" Sirena exclaimed, rushing to her friend's side. "What happened?"

"His shirt's wet." Ondina said slowly. Her gaze darted to Cam's feet and she saw the small pool of water that had dripped down from his wet clothing. "Where is your tail?"

Cam gazed down at his legs which were still shaking like leaves. "I don't have one anymore." He said. The very words tore at his heart strings and he covered his face with his hands to stop the others from seeing the tears that had sprung to his eyes.